Discussing video game addiction is never a particularly easy subject to broach. At least not in my experience. Ordinarily it’s not something I particularly like to talk about at all. That could be because I’m a gaming addict in denial, or because I’m ultra defensive over my chosen hobby and quickly angered by the stupidity and banal …

How did I miss this? It can’t possibly wait until my SW:TOR news round-up! Bioware have announced a new player versus player warzone called “Huttball” and who better to detail it than the legendary (and very wobbily headed) Dalas Dickinson! Hit the jump, hit the jump!

In the first of my news round-ups, I thought I’d start with the mighty Guild Wars 2. It has been a busy couple of weeks in the world of massively multiplayer games after Gamescom and PAX, so I wanted to link a good few news stories, videos and blog posts of Guild Wars 2 that might …

EVE Online, what an odd game. My only character was made in 2006 and had probably only been played for around ten hours before she went into permanent hibernation. I found EVE incredibly dull when I first played it all those years ago. Some might argue that that is a demonstration of the skill ceiling …

I may occasionally bitch about the IGDA, but I am lucky and proud to be a member. The Detroit Chapter has struggled mightily to maintain itself on account of a vast geographical area – we don’t want to splinter into an Ann Arbor Chapter, a Lansing Chapter, an EAST Lansing Chapter, a Grand Rapids Chapter, etc etc etc – and is currently amidst a new period of growth and energy. At our monthly social meetings you get to drink and meet the wonderful game development community of southern Michigan. And thus it was that I met Jacob Elert, who stated without a hint of irony that most people called him Bear. If you ever meet Bear, you will see why. Bear is a big fella; but he’s not a “Gorilla” or an “Elephant,” he’s definitely bearlike. In addition to being bearlike, Bear is a passionate new entry to the game development world, and I enjoyed chatting with him so much that I suggested he toss me an article for Tap. And he did! Today you’ll be getting a bear’s view of what MMOs have meant to the game experience as well as just the market. I think you’ll find it well worth your time. Take it away, Bear!

Those damned humans, with their… revolutioning. Why they gotta be all up in our business with their revolutions? And… their… human… ness? You may not know this, but Tap-Repeatedly has a YouTube Channel. It’s currently quite sparse. And what you’ll find below doesn’t do much to enrich it, to be honest, but as I mention …

If you don’t regularly visit Alliance of Awesome member Bits ‘n’ Bytes Gaming (we need to record a new podcast soon!), you should, at the very least, head on over there to check out Armand K’s interview with Almost Human, a new indie developer toiling away on Legend of Grimrock, a delightfully Dungeon Master-looking CRPG …

One of the big movements in gaming these days, albeit one that’s only occasionally talked about, is toward user-generated content. Gone are the days when mission editors were arcane tools only the most dedicated could learn to comprehend, much less use. And so I present my own recent adventures in user-generated content, courtesy of Sucker …

Sylvari week has ended and for those of you who haven’t yet delved into the delights offered by ArenaNet, I suggest you head on over to the blog for a five day feast of information covering the design and lore, plus some delicious wallpapers. The redesign has been well received by both press and fans …

I first met Amanda Lange about two years ago – until quite recently, she taught Game Design at the International Academy of Design & Technology in Detroit, Michigan, and I had the honor of being invited to speak with one of her classes. I don’t think Amanda expected me to ramble on for an hour and a half, but then again… she didn’t know me at the time. Now she does and is correspondingly more wary.

A longtime member of the International Game Developers Association and supporter of many local efforts and endeavors, Amanda’s moving to a new state soon on account of getting relocated, so we’ll miss her at the Detroit IGDA meetings. In the interim, though, she kindly offered to put together a Celebrity Guest Editorial on a subject that I think many Tap readers have pondered over the years. Take it away, Amanda!